As a member of the department of mental health advisory board, I must voice my opinion that too many cuts have been made in the DMH budget. It has been cut over a hundred million dollars over the past decade. Also, it is great that we have a new state hospital in western Massachusetts. However, we have not gained any beds. According to the formula we should have 900 state beds. Instead, we will have 600 beds. Also, with the closing of Taunton Hospital, Cape Cod residents will have a two-hour ride to visit family and loved ones in the new facility.

Now, there is talk about reducing resources in our 33 DMH club houses which provide services for 8,300 clients in the state. If passed, only DMH case-managed clients will be able to use the facilities. What’s missing here on Cape Cod is that it’s hard to become case-managed because we have lost half of our case managers from cuts. Many of the non-case-managed mentally ill need these resources or else they will be on the streets with nothing to do.